Drugs

- A drug is any substance taken into the body that modifies or affects chemical reactions
inside the body
- Long ago people discovered that some plants could help to cure diseases/ heal wounds
however they also discovered that some of these plant extracts were able to induce
hallucinations and feelings of content or excitement
- Without drugs many people would live a much shorter life or suffer in great pain
- Most drugs are used in medical care or to relieve pain and are helpful to us
- However some people misuse drugs so that they cause harm to themselves and to
others around them

MEDICINAL DRUGS-

Antibiotics:

- Antibiotics are chemical substances made by certain fungi or bacteria that affects the
working of bacterial cells.
- They do this in 2 ways:
- 1) disrupting their structure or function
- 2) preventing them from reproducing
- The 1st antibiotic to be discovered was penicillin made by the fungus penicillium
- Antibiotics are effective against bacteria but not against viruses
- Antibiotics target processes and structures that are specific to bacterial cells and they
don’t cause harm to animal cells

Antibiotic resistance:

- Since the 1st antibiotic was discovered in 1928 antibiotics have been and still are widely
overused
- Due to this reason many bacteria have developed resistance against antibiotics
- Commonly prescribed antibiotics are becoming less effective while the incidents of
antibiotic resistance is increasing, this is due to the following reasons:
- 1) antibiotics being overused and prescribed unnecessarily
- 2) patients failing to complete the fully prescribed course of antibiotics
- 3) large scale use of antibiotics in farming livestock even when the animals aren’t
actually sick
- Bacteria that have developed resistance are known as super bugs and the most common
super bug is: MRSA
- The increase in the incidents of antibiotic resistance can be prevented by:
- 1) taking antibiotics only when it is absolutely essential
- 2) ensuring the entire course (prescribed antibiotics) is completed even if we feel better
after a few days

Why don’t antibiotics work against viruses?

- Viruses cant be treated by antibiotics. antibiotics work by disrupting cell functions such
as respiration, digestion and reproduction or by breaking down their cell structure in
some way
- Viruses don’t carry out any cell function neither do they have any cell organelles, cell
membranes or cell walls because they infect and use the hosts cells machinery (animal
cells) to reproduce
- Antibiotics don’t work against animal cells and therefore doesn’t work against viruses

Misused drugs

Alcohol

- Alcohol is a very commonly used drug in many countries, people often consume
alcoholic drinks because they enjoy the effect it has on the brain
- It helps people feel more relaxed making it easier to enjoy themselves and to interact
with other people
- Alcohol is quickly absorbed through the wall of the stomach and its carried all over the
body by blood, its broken down in the liver however this takes quite a long time
- Drinking fairly small amounts of alc isn’t dangerous but alc can have many adverse effect
on the body if not consumed carefully
- Wines beers and liquor contain an alc called ethanol
- This is a depressant drug as it slows down signals in the nerves and the brain, this means
the reaction time increases- meaning the time taken to respond to a stimuli increases
because signaling in the brain is slow
- This can mean the difference between life and death and therefore there are legal
limits for drinking and driving in many countries
- However even very small quantities of alc increases the risk of an accident so the only
safe rule is to not drink alc at all if an individual wants to drive
- The liver is the main organ that removes alc from the blood steam as it has enzymes
that can break alc down
- However the products of the reactions involved are toxic and overtime can damage the
liver irreparably
- In many people alc can be a very addictive drug

Effects of alcohol
- Short term effects:
- 1) vomiting- alc is toxic to the body and this is the quickest way to get it out of the body
- 2) impaired judgment- this could lead to violent behavior since the person has reduced
self control
- 3) impaired balance and muscle control
- 4) drowsiness
- 5) unconsciousness/ blacking out (if heavily consumed)

- Long term effects:

- 1) damages the brain causing memory loss and confusion
- 2) alc abuse over a long period of time damages the liver causing cirrhosis

Heroine:

- This is a powerful depressant drug which reduces pain and slows down the breathing
- Its highly addictive since users quickly develop a tolerance for it meaning they require
more and more of it in order to feel the same effects
- This increases the risk of accidentally overdosing which can lead to death

Heroine and the nervous system:

- The brain has many different chemical neurotransmitters that transfer nerve impulses
across synapses
- The neurotransmitters diffuse across the synapse and fit into the receptor molecules on
the post synaptic membrane
- A group of neurotransmitters called endorphins reduce sensations of pain hunger and
thirst and affect the mood in a positive way
- When heroine enters the brain its metabolized to morphine
- Morphine molecules fit into the endorphin receptors hence giving the same effect as
endorphin does. This is why heroine users feel so good
- Taking heroine reduces the production of natural endorphin and other
neurotransmitters which is why heroine addicts need greater and greater amounts in
order to get the same feelings

- The need for more heroine means the users need more money to pay for the increased
amount of drugs. they may commit a crime in order to obtain the money
- Since heroine is very addictive if a user stops taking it they will suffer from significant
and severe withdrawal symptoms such as: nausea, muscle cramps, night sweats, anxiety
and difficulty sleeping
- Heroine can be taken into the body in many ways but one of the most common
methods is injecting it into the body with a syringe
 - As syringe needles cost money many users share the needles which can increase the risk
of transmit ion of blood born infections such as HIV

Tobacco and the gas exchange system:

- Tobacco smoke can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), coronary
heart diseases, cardio vascular diseases lung cancer
- There are 3 main chemicals in cigarette smoke, they are:
- 1) tar a carcinogen (cancer causing agent)
- 2) nicotine - an addictive substance which narrows blood vessels
- 3) carbon monoxide- combines with hemoglobin more readily than oxygen and
therefore reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood

Tar:

- This is a carcinogen and it increases the chances of cancerous cells developing in the
lungs
- It also contributes to COPD such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema which are 2
different diseases linked to smoking that occur together
- In chronic bronchitis the tar stimulates the goblet cells and mucus glands to enlarge and
produce more mucus
- It also destroys celia and thereby inhibits the cleaning of the airways
- Mucus containing dirt bacteria and viruses builds up, blocking the smallest bronchioles
and causing irritation
- In an attempt to move the mucus the smoker coughs a deep and throaty cough known
as the smokers cough.
- This damages the epithelia resulting in scar tissue which narrows the airways and makes
breathing difficult
- Emphysema occurs together with bronchitis as a result of frequent infection
- Phagocytes are attracted to the infected areas of the lungs where they release elastase
to allow them to reach the surface where the bacteria are
- Elastase is an enzyme in the alveoli walls which allow them to stretch and recoil
- Without enough elastase the alveoli cant stretch causing many of them to burst
- The breakdown of many alveoli results in the appearance of large air spaces reducing
the surface area of a gas exchange making the sufferers breathe more rapidly
- As it progresses patients become breathless and wheezy and may need a constant
supply of oxygen to stay alive

Carbon monoxide:

- This binds irreversibly to hemoglobin and reduces the capacity of blood to carry oxygen
 - This puts a strain on the respiratory system as the frequency of breathing and the depth
of the breath needs to be increased in order to transport the same amount of oxygen
into the blood
- It also puts a strain on the circulatory system to pump blood faster around the body
which increases the risk of a coronary heart disease and strokes

Nic

- Nicotine narrows blood vessels and therefore the strain on the circulatory system
increases and blood pressure increases
- Narrower blood vessels are more likely to be clogged with fat further reducing their size
- If this happens in the coronary artery it causes a coronary heart disease. The heart
muscle cells do not get enough oxygen and therefore less aerobic respiration takes
place. Due to this they start respiring anaerobically producing lactic acid which cannot
be removed fast enough
- This creates a low pH environment causing the enzymes to denature which eventually
result in the death of heart muscle cells
- If a sufficient number of cells die it can cause a heart attack

Smoking and lung cancer:

- Cigarette smoke contains carcinogens (cancer causing agents)

- The link between smoking fags and getting lung cancer was first discovered in the 1950’s
in England
- Since there was no way of carrying out a controlled experiment researchers had to rely
on data such as the number of fags smoked per year and the number of deaths caused
by lung cancer
- The general trend showed that as the number of adults who smoked decreases the lung
cancer rates a few years later also decreases
- It also showed that as the number of fags smoked per year increases the number of
deaths from lung cancer also increases showing a positive correlation
- Hence establishing a link between smoking and lung cancer

Performance enhancing drugs in sports:

- Hormones are produced in the body to control development and responds to

environmental changes
- Some people take additional hormones to increase these effects
- This is most commonly done to increase and improve sporting performances
- Testosterone is the male sex hormone that affects the development of male secondary
sexual characteristics. It belongs to a group of steroid hormones which stimulate
anabolic reactions (making larger molecules from smaller molecules) and therefore it is
known as an anabolic steroid
- One of the effects of testosterone is to increase the production of proteins in muscles so
that they become larger and stronger
- Taking anabolic steroids increases muscle mass and helps athletes train faster and for
longer periods of time. It also increases aggression which gives athletes an edge when
competing
- Due to this reason steroids in sports is banned as it gives an unfair advantage to those
that take it
- In addition they also have serious side effects such as increased risk of heart diseases,
increased risk of liver damage, increased risk of kidney damage, In women it could affect
the menstrual cycle, and decreases the ability of the immune system to destroy
pathogens.